The Secret Avengers
by TurquoiseGirl1
Summary: Cassidy has lived a normal life for fifteen years since the time she was adopted. But when the gorgeous Joey Rodgers and her real father, Clint Barton appear at her house one day and tell her the truth about her life, Cassie later discovers she won't be able to save everyone. Can Cassie somehow save her friends, family, and the world? Or will she make a horrible mistake?


**Chapter One**

 _ **Cassie POV**_

The strings vibrated under my fingers, sending deep tremors of emotion through my body. My bow gracefully floated across the strings, drawing out a sad, slow melody from the violin resting on my shoulder. I had started playing the violin when I was ten. Five years later, I was still playing it.

"Cassie?" A knock on the door snapped me from my trance, startling me so much, I dropped my bow. I dived after it, just as the door opened. Sitting up, I looked at who had entered my room.

It was Joey Starr. "Joey?" I almost yelped. Steadying myself, I stood up, my face tomato red. "What are you doing here?" _Whoops, that came out wrong._

"I, uh, okay." He took a deep breath. "Is it okay if we have a little chat? Actually," he added as an afterthought, "it might be a bit longer."

Now I was seriously confused. Joey had only spoken to me in groups of two or three sentences at school a day. Now he showed up to my house, without knocking, I might add, came into my house, and now wanted to have a talk with me in my bedroom? My head was spinning. Joey was the most popular boy in school. With his blonde hair, tan complexion, and piercingly blue eyes, he looked like an angel. Almost every girl had a crush on him. Including me.

"Um, sure." I took the shoulder rest off my violin and set it in my case. "You can sit on the bed," I said absentmindedly, gesturing to it.

"Okay." I felt even more uncomfortable as I continued to put away my instrument. His eyes were like lasers on the back of my neck. Finally, I spun around and faced him. "So, what's up?"

"Cassie, what you're going to hear from me is going to be so ridiculously crazy that you won't believe me. But I'm begging you, _please,_ hear me out."

"Okay?" I said, more confused than ever.

"Okay. Where to start?" he paused for a moment, then started to speak. "So, I'm assuming you've seen the Avengers."

"Uh, yeah." _Duh. Hasn't everybody?_

"Well, they're real." For a second, I just stared at him, unable to process what he just said. Then it hit me, and my tongue unwound itself.

"No, they aren't. The people in that movie were _actors_ , the movie is complete fiction, there is definitely not a Stark tower in New York City, and wouldn't the entire world know if Earth had been attacked by an alien race and a god from Asgard? Wouldn't New York be in ruins?" So many questions pounded my brain, I couldn't get them out fast enough.

"How do you know the Avengers aren't real?" Joey asked me. It was actually a pretty simple question, just a difficult answer. "Do you have any proof?"

"No, but-"

"And how would you know Stark tower isn't in New York, let alone exist? Have you even been there?"

"No, but-"

"And how do you explain every weird thing that's happened to you over your life? Can you explain your birth parents?"

"They abandoned me," I said flatly. "They left me on the doorstep of an orphanage two days after I was born. I don't know anything about them- their names, what they look like, where they live... they didn't even bother to leave me with a picture, or anything, for that matter, to remind me of them. They didn't want me, and I don't want them."

"Cassie, I'm sorry, okay?" Suddenly, Joey's voice wasn't always as dreamy as I thought it had been. It had hardened, just a bit, but not in a mean way. He sounded... tough. "You've had it so much harder than me. I got to grow up knowing who I am, who my parents are. I was lucky. I don't know why."

"Joey, are you done?" A man's voice cut through the silence after Joey's sentence. "Fury wants us back in New York by 9:00 tonight. If you don't hurry, we aren't going to make it."

"Sorry Clint." The door swung open, and I caught my breath. Standing in the doorway was a man dressed in black, a bow in his hand, and a quiver of high-tech arrows slung over his back. He had blonde hair and brown eyes, and reminded me a bit of Joey.

"Who the..." my voice drifted off as the man turned to me.

"Cassidy," the man said, his eyes falling on me. His voice was gentler, and the way he looked at me... It made me feel special.

"Cassie," Joey said gently. "This is Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, and also..." he hesitated, "your father."

"No, he isn't," I said quietly. "My father left me, fifteen years ago. He didn't want me."

"No, Cassie, I am so, so sorry," Clint said, hesitantly coming over to me. "I am your real father. Your mother is Natasha Romanoff. We- we didn't want to let you go, but Fury convinced us it was for the best. He said you were different... special. The only way to keep you safe would be to never let you cross paths with us ever again. If you went into the real world, were given a new identity... HYDRA wouldn't be able to find you. And after Wanda looked over you, she said you were too dangerous with us. It was the hardest thing we ever had to do, but we let them take you. We believed you would be protected. And you were. Until now."

Instantly, I thought back to all the strange and terrifying things that had happened to me over the years. Being chased by men in black suits. Waking up shaking and sweaty, but not being able to remember the nightmare I had just had. Moving things without touching them. Running at speeds that had my Olympic gold-medalist gym teacher in shock. "No," I murmured to myself. "That isn't possible." I looked at Clint, suddenly not so sure of myself. "It can't be."

"Look at your arm," Joey said to me, moving over and rolling up my sleeve, making me shiver. Carefully, he touched a spot right above my wrist, and the closer I looked, I saw it was the faintest shadow of a scar. And the scar...

"It's an arrow," I said aloud. "So, it's true? Everything? And you- you're my dad? My dad is an _Avenger?"_

Joey nodded. "You've known it all along Cassie. You just didn't know the whole truth."

He was right. I had always felt out of place. Wherever I went, I felt like I didn't belong. And the stuff I could do... I had tried to ignore it. Pretend it didn't exist. Pretend I was hallucinating. But I couldn't. Those things were part of me.

"Dad?" I whispered, looking him straight in the eye.

He nodded. "Cassie, I am so, so sorry. I know you might not forgive me, but I wanted you to be safe. I-"

I cut him off mid sentence and wrapped my arms around him. All at once, memories flew through my head. A man and woman holding a kid- me, I guessed, as a baby, red electricity encircling me, a woman with long dark hair, the face of Clint Barton smiling down at me, a huge tower... It was real. I just hadn't been able to remember.

My father hugged me back, his arms feeling just as a father's arms should- strong, comforting, protective. "I missed you Dad," I whispered.

"I missed you too Cassidy," he whispered into my ear, "I missed you too."

I don't know how long I stayed in his embrace, but soon, Joey was clearing his throat. "I hate to break this up," he said, "but we really need to go."

I pulled away from my dad. "But why did you wait all those years?" I asked. "Why now? Has something happened?"

"It's complicated," my dad sighed. "I'll explain in the Quinjet. But we really need to go."

"What about my foster parents?" I asked. "They'll never believe this."

"Yes, they will," Joey said, looking at his feet.

"Huh?"

"They will believe this. They're undercover SHIELD agents, assigned to protect you until the time came. You'll see them again, really soon," Joey added. "Trust me."

I looked at him, hesitated, then nodded, though the main thought running through my head was, _My entire life has been a lie?_ He flashed me a gorgeous smile, and I blushed. Now it was my turn to look at my feet.

"Can I ask one more question?" A thought had suddenly jumped into my mind, and stupidly, I had not thought about it once yet.

"Of course," said Clint- my dad.

"How does Joey tie in with all of this stuff?"

"I'm Steve Rodgers' son," he said. "I was almost sent away with you... until Wanda said I might be okay to live with my parents, because somehow, HYDRA didn't know about me. Ever since 6th grade, when I came to your school, I've been keeping an eye on you, making sure you're alright and safe."

"Wow," I muttered. "You're Captain America's son?"

"And Cara- my mom. Dad met her on a mission. He had almost given up on ever finding someone again... until he met Cara. They didn't exactly tell me all the details about how they met or my mom's back story, but they said they would. Eventually," Joey added.

"That's..."

"Weird, crazy, I know," Joey said. "But I'm used to it."

"I was actually going to say that it's amazing."

"Oh." For the first time in my life, I saw Joey blush.

"Joey, Cassie, we really need to leave. Nick said the sooner you're in New York, the better. I don't want to risk anything," my dad interrupted. "Come on."

"My stuff..." I said as we quickly exit my bedroom.

"We've got a bunch of stuff for you at Stark's. And Tony's gonna fly back later tonight with Sam, Rhodey, and some of the Iron Legion to get anything else you need or want," Dad said, his fingers tapping anxiously on his bow as the elevator opened and we entered.

"Wow, thanks," I said, surprised. I wasn't used to being treated like this, but I had to admit, it was nice. Slowly, the elevator dropped down the floors from the apartment I'd lived in for fifteen years. I didn't really feel horrible, seeing as how my life had basically been a lie, but I still felt a twinge of sadness knowing I was leaving it forever.

"Tell me about Mom," I said, turning to my dad as the number on the wall turned from 13 floors to 12.

"What do you want to know?" he asked, smiling at me.

"What's she like? What's she done the fifteen years I've been gone?"

"Well, she's tough. She isn't too open with tons of people, though she is with everyone who lives in Stark Tower. She misses you a lot. She wanted to come with me, but I wouldn't let her. And when you were gone? She's still SHIELD's top assassin, so her life outside of the tower is missions and SHIELD. She's so excited to see you."

I felt a warm feeling in my stomach, and for some reason, I felt like grinning. Then, the elevator stopped and the doors opened, showering me in the glow of the sunset. The feeling left as quickly as it came, and quickly, we hurried out of the building, trying to look casual.

"Take a left," Joey whispered in my ear. "The quinjet is in those trees over there."

I stared intently into the trees, though I was unable to see a thing. "Come on," my dad whispered, his eyes scanning the area. Something about his behavior was making me worried. He was expecting something, and it was scaring him. Knowing that didn't improve my thoughts.

We jogged over to the small, condensed area of pine trees. As we ran through them, I could feel the branches snagging the sleeves of my violet hoodie. I winced, not enough for anyone to notice, I hoped.

"Here." Joey came to an abrupt stop, and I almost crashed into him. Thankfully, I didn't. That just would've been embarrassing. I steadied myself and looked up.

"Wow," I breathed. The quinjet, though it was pretty small, was still pretty awesome. It was a dark gray, with the SHIELD logo imprinted on the side. Looking through the tinted windows, I could barely make out the shape of three computers.

My dad smiled, seeing my expression. "Pretty cool, huh?"

I nodded.

"We need to go." This time it was Joey who sounded worried. Dad nodded, and pressed something on his bow. The back of the jet opened soundlessly, and Joey, followed by my dad, entered. I hung back, but only slightly. This was serious. Maybe I had been wrong. Maybe I was actually being kidnapped.

"Cassie?" Joey's voice rang out from the quinjet. "Are you coming?" I took a deep breath and looked around. I knew deep down that this weird, crazy stuff was real. And that made my decision.

As I stepped onto the inclined platform into the quinjet, I suddenly heard a voice. I whirled around, and stopped dead in my tracks. Five feet away from me were three men, all dressed in black. But when I looked closer, I could see what I assumed was a HYDRA logo imprinted near the left shoulder.

"Dad!" I screamed. "Joey!" No one came. My breathing was coming in short gasps- I was terrified.

"It's okay," one of the men whispered, coming closer to me. I shrank back, my hands sweating and my heart pounding.

"Stay away from me!" I said forcefully. _Why weren't Joey and Clint coming?_ Suddenly, I remembered something. I had been able to move things without touching them. In fifth grade, I had used my eyes to direct a pencil from one end of the room to the other, making it float in midair, during the middle of a science class. In eighth grade, I had made two boys who were being jerks fly backwards with so much force into the brick wall of the school, that they were sent to the hospital and diagnosed with concussions. What if I could still do that...?

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the man nearest to me. He was grinning, and I knew he thought I was a weak, helpless, scared teenager, who wasn't going to be a problem to take down. I waited, channeling all the energy I possibly had. As he reached out a hand to me, I thought, _NOW!_

In an instant, the man flew backwards, knocking into the other two in the process. But they didn't all collapse in a heap the way I thought they would. Instead, they kept flying backwards, straight into the biggest tree in the small wooded area. I winced instinctively as I heard their skulls crunch against the trunk of the pine tree.

"Cassie..." Joey popped his head out of the quinjet. "Are you-" he stopped talking immediately when his eyes fell on the three men all in an unconscious heap on the ground. Slowly, he moved his head to me. "Did you...?"

I nodded, still stunned myself. But that trick had literally drained me of energy. I staggered, barely catching myself from sliding down the platform. Joey raced after me and gathered me in his arms. Despite how tired I was, I couldn't help myself from inwardly grinning.

"Hang in there," Joey muttered as he effortlessly carried me inside. I barely had enough time to register the technology and gadgets inside and my dad's worried face before a sharp pain shot through my head and I slumped against Joey, unconscious.


End file.
